Character Design - Gong Lou
Background Gong Lou has not always been part of the Smackrel clan. After his defeat with Zhurong and slamming himself against the Buzhou Mountain and causing China to have a great flood, he felt nothing but shame. To stop himself causing so pain for the citizens of China retreated to the sea. Due to this, the Chinese water god know as Gong Gong changed his name to Gong Lou. Wanting to ensure he was no threat to mankind he went further into the sea until they reached the Aphotic Zone near Hong Kong and they met a wandering Smackrel, seeing the god wanting to change the Smackrel helped the wandering soul. Gong Lou changed his form to look like a Smackrel but as much as he tried he couldn’t change his red locks and dragon tail. As time went on he became adapted into the Smackrel life and community, he would lead squadrons to other Smackrel communities around the globe. After a while, the Smackrel that welcomed Gong Lou into the community, Tam Kung, became the leader of their clan with Gong Lou at his side. After the god of boredom allowed the deities to come back Tam Kung left to explore the world again leaving Gong Lou to protect the nation they made. Motivation Gong Lou’s motivation is to ensure his nations safety but to also prove to the other deities that he has change. Connection to the Plot Gong Lou will give the player the main quest line to help Smackrel’s in the Silk Road trade but through progression of the game players will see the toll of trying to ward off poachers, trade and make deals with The Red Flag fleet and ensure that the Divine Bureaucracy will not lay siege on Shui Hai. Appearance & Personality Gong Lou is a tall bulk character commonly seen in traditional Chinese robe that if you look carefully enough you can see that the tales of Gong Gong stitched into his robes, is hair is commonly kept down and tends to lie just above his tail but if he is going to battle he will put it in a tight bun. His tail has red scales and gold tinges throughout. Out of all the Smackrel Gong Lou tail is not from the common aphotic creatures however derives from his dragon heritage. Gong Lou is extremely loyal and will put his people over himself he is very approachable but can be easily angered, it may not come often but it can be over a rumor and when he gets angry he will act without thinking and tends to put himself in danger in these moments. A rumored that when he gets this angry his hair looks like fire under water. Location The player can find Gong Lou at the Royal grotto located near the center of the Shui Hai. He may also be located taking part in various cultural activities or relaxing at the market browsing the wares. Dynamic between other characters Between the player Gong Lou has both a mentor but an authority dynamic, when the player is tasked to do something from Gong Lou it will either be from an authority stance of “You need to do this for the good of our people!” or a stance of wanted you to improve and learn as an individual eg; “I feel like this voyage would be good to your character and progressing towards your goals, go child, go learn”. What archetypes do they fall into? The archetype Gong Lou falls into is the ruler as he ensures that his kingdom must be safe and people look up to him but even though he wants the best for his country he doesn’t trust other deities yet. He also falls into the mentor archetype as he is the main way for the Smackrel class to progress through the game but in doing so he will teach you advancements to your race and will advise on where to go and what deities to seek/avoid.